Portrayal of political institutions

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  • Created by: 12345b
  • Created on: 06-11-19 08:15
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  • ‘Much dystopian fiction attacks social and political institutions.’
    • 1984
      • STALINISM
        • Orwell stated that he was "against Totalitarianism and for democratic socialism."
          • The moustachioed figure that is depicted on every sign is similar to that of stalin and his cult of personality.
            • "Big Brother also lurks behind Churchill and any leader whom propaganda utilises or invents."  E.M. Forster.
        •   "The two of them must evidently have been swallowed up in one of the first great purges of the fifties."
          • The systematic removal of all of the enemies of the regime that Winston loses his parents in. is much like Stalin's purges where he removed any political enemies.
        • Goldstein's book: The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism. Is very similar to Trotsky's: The Rebellion Betrayed
          • Goldstein and Trotsky share many similarities. Goldstein is also used as a scapegoat when the Party is unsuccessful.
        •  "the Ninth Three-Year Plan."
          • The 3 year plans mimic Stalin's 5 years plans which were mainly unsuccessful. suggesting that their success is a lie.
    • The Handmaid's Tale
      • 2nd Wave Feminism
        • feminists such as Ofred's mum paraticipated in a radical for of protest. and campaigned for a "Women's society"
          • Atwood mocks this by suggestion that the whorehouse that Moira works in is a Women's society.
        • Atwood suggests that the The *********** burning and the militant styles of protest. did not actually help the cause.
      • The Religious Right
        • During the 1980s various right-wing evangelical Christian groups became increasingly vocal their views on homosexuality, divorce, *********** is very similar to Gilead. 
          • Aunt Lydia's comments to the girls in the Red Centre shows how the ideas of the 2nd Wave Feminists have been warped by the religious rulers of Gilead.
            • Atwood suggests that the The *********** burning and the militant styles of protest. did not actually help the cause.
            • "women tied up or chained... women hanging from trees... being *****, beaten up killed... cut into pieces'. ‘You see what things used to be like? That was what they thought of women then'
            • "There is more than one kind of freedom, said Aunt Lydia. Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from. Don’t underrate it."
      • Academic institutions
        • In the Historical Notes Epilogue, Professor Piexoto says "our job is not to censure but to understand."
          • The idea that they should judge Gilead for their actions suggest that Prof. Piexoto has a degree of sympathy for the cause.
          • Atwood is suggesting that academic institutions tend to gloss over the struggles of the individuals and therefore they make the horrific seem justified and small.
    • Brave New World.
      • Technological/ Religious
        • The people in BNW all  worship "Ford" the symbol of this is a "T"
          • This cult like worship falls in line with the idea of mass production as the Model T was the first mass produced car.
            • This calls into question the idea that just because there is new technology it doesn't necessarily mean that there has been an advancement.
            • The idea of mass production, while useful in terms 0of Machinery, when applied to human reproduction destroys the idea of individuality.

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